Radio Silence
by Limited-Fantasy
Summary: It takes a stalker kidnapping Kirk for Spock to finally break the silence about what happened two years ago. A response to a K/S challenge. Warning, this is SLASH. Part 1 of a 3-part series. This is the prequel to Second Chances. This is now complete!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Paramount. No copyright infringement intended.

When Captain Kirk woke up, he immediately knew that he was not on the _Enterprise_. Yet, what he expected was to be lying on a hard, stone floor of a dungeon. Instead, found himself lying in a soft bed with outrageously silky sheets. He wondered briefly if he'd somehow ended up in a bordello at a pleasure planet, but dismissed it almost immediately when he recalled the events before he woke up to a darkened room smelling of expensive perfume.

_He was down at Starbase 70, walking through a pretty little conservatory with a visiting Lieutenant Commander he'd known from his academy days. The two of them had made it around a large tree when Kirk turned to look at a flower that his companion had pointed out to him. A second later, all went black._

Before the doors even slid open, Kirk was sitting up and glaring, knowing exactly who his attacker and kidnapper was.

...

Or well, he had expected to know exactly who it was. The masculine form that stepped into the room threw him off completely.

"Commodore Gregson?" He didn't hide his surprise from his tone or expression as the door closed. The lighting immediately brightened, making his eyes water, but Kirk didn't look away as the man strode casually over to the room's replicator as if a starship captain was not in his bed.

If Kirk didn't know Commodore Gregson as an instructor at Academy and one of the best Starfleet officers in the quadrant, he might've thought kidnapping officers was regular practice of the man. With prior knowledge of the superior officer, the present situation was extremely uncomfortable, especially when the commodore didn't say a word and offered him a glass of wine with a smile.

"It came out of the replicator, there isn't any poison in it." When Kirk refused to take it, he merely shrugged good-naturedly and set it by the bedside table.

"Commodore—"

"Vince, Jim, we aren't at my office."

"..._Vince_...why am I here?" His tone didn't have the edge of command that he would normally use in such a situation, as Kirk sensed that any small outburst could have an unexpected consequence. He didn't know the commodore as well as some of the others in the 'fleet and the situation wasn't exactly a casual visit.

However, despite all the uncertainty that was swimming about in his mind, the captain was certain of one thing: he most certainly did not sleep with the commodore. If he had, he wouldn't be clothed and he would probably be waking up from a pounding hangover. Yet, the bed suggested that it was used for less...social means. It made Kirk wary. If he remembered Vincent Gregson correctly from the Academy, he favored taking men home. In fact, he could remember at least one occasion where Gregson had joked while drunk that he would take Kirk home with him.

"C'mon, Jim, you're a smart boy. You know exactly why you're here." Kirk unconsciously scooted a few centimeters away from the leering man.

Captain Kirk may be more open than some men when it came to sexual partners, but there were only a handful of men he was honestly attracted to. Vincent Gregson was not one of them. While the commodore was a handsome brunette with striking grey eyes, he was simply not his type. Kirk was not into the more feminine, lanky type of men and never was.

"Commodore, I will not agree to this and request—"

"Denied." There was humor in Gregson's tone as he drained his glass and placed it next to Kirk's untouched one.

When those grey eyes traveled back to the bed and him, Kirk was ready to rise up and defend himself, but instead of climbing onto the bed, the commodore remained where he was, quietly regarding the tensed captain with amusement and a bit of...pity?

"Jim, I won't take you forcibly, but I also won't take no for an answer. I've been patient with you, watching your progress through Starfleet and reading every little scrap of news about your latest intergalactic...ah..._conquests_, but it ends now. You've been an indecisive tease and I won't read about you taking another girl without commitment." Kirk's eyes narrowed at this new information. Suddenly the whole situation just got a lot more dangerous. Gregson had been using Starfleet to follow his every move? His quick mind recombined the information along with his current location and everything suddenly fell into place.

Of all the unexpected situations he'd fallen into with since his first post on a starship, this was the first time Captain James T. Kirk had been successfully kidnapped by an obsessive stalker. He mentally kicked himself for being so relaxed on a starbase to allow such a thing to happen.

"Commodore—_Vince_—this is insane, you can't possibly think that Starfleet won't—"

"Starfleet? They won't find out a damned thing about this unless you squeal, Jim, and I know you won't. You wouldn't dream of it after we make up." Kirk held down his urge to shudder at the maniac gleam in Gregson's eyes as he rose from his stool and approached the bed. He didn't dare withdraw as fingers gently cupped his chin.

"I thought you said you wouldn't take me by force." His voice was strained and his hazel eyes were sharp with suspicion as those fingers lightly caressed his face. Gregson's expression had softened, but Kirk felt nothing for the other akin to attraction. In fact, he was repulsed by such tenderness forced onto him as if he were a gentle, delicate flower.

"And I won't, but I wish to leave you something to consider my pro—" By chance the commlink outside of the room rang and the hand dropped. The commodore's tender expression was instantly replaced with one of irritation as he straightened his tunic and left the room, making sure to close and lock the door from the outside.

Curious, Kirk slipped out of the bed and crept over to the sliding doors, pressing his ear against the gap.

"Commodore, we request permission to scan the station." Kirk smiled as his heart skipped a beat, hearing the familiar monotone of his exec. His disappearance had been noticed and Spock was already on his way.

"Permission granted, Commander. We have also located the prime suspect, but have had no satisfactory results." The captain noted without surprise at the fake-sounding note of apology the commodore used and grit his teeth. There was no way a scan of the station would lead to the _Enterprise_ finding him, then. But how was that possible? Kirk glanced briefly down at his forearm, recalling the transponder that McCoy had put in three months ago. He pressed the spot lightly, satisfied that it was still there. Hm...perhaps the commodore didn't know about it?

"Thank you, sir, for your cooperation. We will be in touch as often as possible."

"Good luck, Mr. Spock. If you need more time, feel free to contact me and I'll arrange an extension of the _Enterprise's_ stay on the station with Starfleet. Captain Kirk must be found." Kirk wanted to shout from behind the door, but he thought better of it, realizing that it would not only be desperate, but it could possibly result in his imprisonment becoming even less pleasant than it already was.

Moving away from the door as he heard the communiqué end, Kirk desperately hoped that the commodore, in his eagerness to kidnap him, had forgotten about the possibility of a transponder.


	2. Chapter 2

The captain had been gone for exactly 3 days by the end of Spock's communiqué with Commodore Gregson and the _Enterprise_ was tense with worry.

Normally, when the captain went on shore leave, he would disappear for a day or two, sometimes with Doctor McCoy, or sometimes alone to enjoy himself without worry. However, it was unusual for the captain not to warn them before taking off. Yet, despite this anomaly, Spock had allowed approximately 13 hours after the first 48 hours of the captain's leave to pass without concern.

It was only after 13 hours that both he and the Doctor started to grow worried. The worry soon spread to the bridge as crew members returned dutifully to the ship and the captain still didn't answer repeated hailings by Lieutenant Uhura.

By the fifteenth hour of the day, Spock alerted the space station and several suspects were detained by the ever-efficient commodore. Meanwhile, the ship beamed down several security officers to search on foot while the bridge crew continued to try to contact the captain.

Fifty minutes before Spock contacted the commodore, Captain Kirk's communicator and phaser were found in the conservatory. All pretence of remaining calm fled the doctor, forcing the first officer to remove his friend from the bridge.

After the short discussion with the commodore, however, the tension lessened slightly as Spock ordered Lieutenant Sulu to commence a scan of the station. There was a possibility that such a scan would be ineffective, but every option had to be explored and done in the most efficient manner possible. If all else failed, then they would have to resort to other, more creative means. He knew such measures would been taken by his captain if it were that was Spock missing instead.

--

A day passed in awkward companionship between captor and captive. Gregson had left Kirk alone in the room after the call and returned the next day to share three meals with the captain, chatting away on subjects of no consequence with him, as if they were two friends on shore leave. However, despite this companionship, Kirk was still very much aware that that other was waiting for him to lower his defenses and strike.

Although it was one of his more comfortable imprisonments, Kirk found himself dreading what was to come moreso than if he'd been locked away in a medieval dungeon. What worried him even more about his present situation was that the _Enterprise _had yet to locate him. His transponder was still in his forearm, but it seemed Spock's scan hadn't picked it up at all. Clearly he was in a building that somehow managed to block scans altogether. Gregson had planned it well.

--

The first scan had shown nothing. The second scan was the same. Altering the systems slightly, still nothing. It made Spock uneasy and suspicious. Even if the transponder were destroyed, he should be able to pick up faint signs of it...but every scan brought up absolutely nothing.

Perplexed, he withdrew to his quarters after his shift to meditate, ordering Sulu to send him the exact results of the scan.

After forty minutes, the Vulcan found himself unable to reach even the second level of meditation and got up from his place before the firepot to review to scans.

Reviewing the results on the screen with a wrinkled brow, he typed in several commands to extract and magnify certain anomalies.

Within five minutes, he realized just why the _Enterprise_ couldn't pick up the transponder signal: there were several buildings meant to house the most classified personnel and information of Starfleet on Starbase 70 that would stop any scan from probing into their interior. Discovering this, he allowed himself to feel a few moment's relief that the first obstacle of his search was gone.

The moment passed quickly and soon he switched on the comm and ordered Uhura to patch him through to Commodore Gregson.

--

Kirk woke up to the sound of voices outside his room. Blearily, he looked at the head's clock and noted that it was 0400 hours. Slipping out of bed, he padded over to the door to listen, smiling when he heard Spock's voice.

"Commodore, I understand that it is against regulation to search all three buildings, but I must insist—"

"Denied, Commander. You know I can't allow that and I don't believe anyone in any of those three buildings would be holding Captain Kirk. In fact, I made an inquiry already and he isn't in any of them."

"Nonetheless, I request permission to do a personal investigation. It is imperative that we recover the captain."

"I will conduct a second search, Mr. Spock, despite my doubts, and give you word tomorrow."

Kirk closed his eyes, imagining the stern expression on his exec's face as he stared down the commodore in the continued silence. He knew Spock would willingly break regulation to get him back. It was only a matter of time. Gregson had no idea who he was dealing with.

With that in mind, he quietly went back to sleep, knowing that it was best he was well-rested for the day ahead. The commodore was going to prove troublesome now that he was cornered.


	3. Chapter 3

The communiqué with the commodore would've driven a human to pull out his hair and scream, but for Spock, it merely made him return to the firepot to review the past few hours' work. This time, he successfully reached a deep trance, allowing himself to forget his surroundings and to analyze the facts and his feelings without outside disruption.

Fact: Jim was kidnapped approximately 4.2 days ago.

Feelings: Distress. How could Jim be so careless? Additional illogical feeling of resentment against subject.

Fact: There are three structures on Starbase 70 that are not accessible by a ship's scan.

Feelings: Upon discovery, sudden joy and relief. Then annoyance when he realized that he would need to go through the proper channels of Starfleet to gain access. Human impatience.

Fact: Commodore Gregson, despite being a friend of Jim's, refused to let Spock conduct a personal investigation of any of the structures.

Feeling: Frustration. Gregson was not as flexible as Jim when it came to the rules, but has promised to do a second sweep—stop.

Query: If Gregson was as impatient as the crew of the _Enterprise_ to recover Captain Kirk, why did he refuse Spock's help in speeding up the conclusion of the investigation?

Review: Gregson's human responses.

Responses: Surprise, irritation, barely-concealed worry.

Conclusion: Gregson is hiding something—

_Spock!_

His focus shattered and the Vulcan jerked out of his trance in alarm. He opened his eyes, looking around his cabin for the source of the voice.

_Spock!_

It took a mere second for him to realize that it was Jim's voice and the source was nowhere near where he was kneeling. Startled, it took Spock a moment to calm down and fall back into his meditative state.

Dropping into a light trance, he probed his mind and stripped away the layers of shielding he'd held over a single, waning strand of light. Mentally he reached for the shivering strand, touching it delicately with a finger.

_A dimly-lit room. Commodore Gregson's feverish face. A metallic device. Restrained. Struggling. Spockohgodohgodohgod—_

Spock was suddenly pushed out and away from the thread, out of the trance and found himself sprawled on the mat before the firepot. He remained there, gasping for air, eyes dilated as he felt the reverberations of Kirk's panic. He couldn't stay there for long. He needed to get up.

Gathering his strength, he rose to his feet, stripped off his robe and donned his uniform in record time. Slamming on the comm, he ordered for Doctor McCoy and three security men to meet him in the transporter room in two minutes. Time was of the essence.


	4. Chapter 4

"Jim, I didn't want to do this, but it's the only way." Kirk glared up at Gregson's pale face.

He'd woken up five minutes before to find that his limbs had been strapped down onto the bed and his head swimming. He'd been drugged and he had no idea when or how. It made him unresponsive for the first two minutes of his awakening, but when he managed to shake off most of the disorientation, he realized that the commodore had recognized the danger and had decided to forgo courtship entirely.

"I thought you said you wouldn't force me into anything I didn't want." His voice had a bite to it, betraying the dread that he'd been trying to hide. Damn it, where was Spock and the _Enterprise_? Time was running out.

Gregson didn't rise to the bait and took out a small triangular device. Kirk didn't recognize it, but he had a feeling that whatever it was, it would most likely make him more pliant to whatever the commodore wanted.

"I wouldn't if I had the time, Jim, but I can't wait for you to remember your affections for me gradually. I'm sorry, but I'll have to use this to help jog your memory." The captain closed his eyes as he felt the cool metal come into contact with his forehead. His heart was threatening to leap right out of his body—Spock, where was Spock—

Hazel eyes flew open as his body jerked up in response to the alien spark that was coursing through his nerves. It felt like a shock at first and then it was more than a shock as it centered completely in Kirk's head. Shutting his eyes again to concentrate in pushing the intruder out, the captain couldn't help but call out for Spock again in his mind, somehow believing that his first officer would be able to hear him from space.

His struggle against the device that was clinging to his temple continued for three minutes and every minute, it grew more and more painful until all went black.

--

Spock, McCoy, and the security team beamed three meters away from Commodore Gregson's living quarters. The only person that blocked them was one lone security officer in front of the Commodore's quarters. Without hesitation, Spock stunned the man and ripped the access card from the man's neck. If McCoy and the rest of the landing party had any objections, they didn't voice them as the doors opened and they found the sitting room empty.

Waving for the security men to flank him, Spock advanced quickly to the door leading to the bedroom and found that the card didn't work. Frowning, he stepped back and adjusted the setting of his phaser and fired.

--

Sound.

A loud sound of cracking metal and feet.

Shouting.

Feeling of something leaving his head.

Too-hot hands touching his face.

_Nononogetoutgetout! _

Relief.

Coolness.

Ripping of restraints.

Heaviness.

Dim light.

Pale face.

Dark eyes.

Blue eyes.

Recognize them, but don't at the same time.

Touch.

Force.

_Ahhh...no...don't! _


	5. Chapter 5

When Kirk next woke, he was immediately aware of the comforting hum of his ship and the equally uncomforting sounds of sickbay. He allowed himself three seconds before opening his eyes to the expected sight of his frowning CMO looming over him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Spock standing on the other side of his bed. He blinked for a moment, allowing this information to process through his fuzzy brain.

Once processed enough to understand that Spock had indeed come on time to save him, he gave his friends a blinding smile as he sat up, much to their relief.

"...h-how long?" His voice was cracked, as if he had been screaming for awhile. He didn't doubt it, considering what he recalled from his time in captivity.

"3.7 hours, captain. The commodore has been detained in the brig." His smile faded at the mention of the commodore. His brows knitted in a moment's confusion before clearing.

"Ah, yes...yes...have you questioned him yet, Mr. Spock?"

--

The captain's recovery was astonishing. From what the science and engineering department had been able to discover about the small device, he shouldn't have been able to think in such a lucid fashion and recall everything that happened during his time in the commodore's room so quickly. Yet, despite the good doctor's reservations and Spock's own reluctance, the captain insisted to be released from sickbay and was after eight hours of observation.

Starfleet had been alerted of the commodore's action and the Lt. Commander that was detained was released. A court martial hearing was to commence in two days' time when three officers of command rank arrived to oversee it. No one of the _Enterprise_ was allowed to judge due to their intimate involvement with the case. Oddly enough, the commodore was serene upon hearing the news and waived his right to counsel. Doctor McCoy was uneasy about Commodore Gregson's manner, but Spock wasn't. He assumed it, like any other case of passion, was because the man had returned to his right senses and saw that he was to be judged and punished accordingly by the law.

It also didn't make Spock uneasy when the captain handed him the conn twenty minutes before his shift was over. Despite what Kirk may claim, his first officer knew that he was far from recovered.

He didn't realize just how far from recovered the captain was until an hour later, when both the brig and the transporter officers reported in panic that the captain and the commodore were gone. Spock didn't spare time to berate himself for his laxity or human hopefulness. Instead, he immediately contacted Starbase 70 to stop and detain the refugees while he ordered Sulu to make a thorough scan of the starbase.

Within fifteen minutes, they'd located the transponder signal. Spock beamed down with a team of security only to discover that the transponder had been removed and tossed under a table by the leaving ship liners.

It was fortunate that Spock was a Vulcan. The agitation he felt was easily pushed aside for logic as he investigated just which liners had left in the past hour. He didn't bother to ask the employees whether or not they'd seen Commodore Gregson or Captain Kirk. If they had, they would've reported to the _Enterprise_ immediately when the alert was sent out.

The next hour was a frenzy on board the _Enterprise_ as Spock tested out a theory about a probable connection between the captain's destination and the small device found on him when they broke into the commodore's rooms. With a list of liners and their destination as aide, Engineer Scott was able to trace the refugees' possible destinations after the science team had given him a list of what the mind control device was made out of.

Spock didn't wait for orders from Starfleet. There were regulations enough to justify him ordering the helmsman to head toward Phylius Ter'o'na at warp six.


	6. Chapter 6

The _Enterprise_, according to Mr. Spock and Engineer Scott's calculations, would reach the planet two hours before the first liner would arrive. It gave them ample time to hide the ship and detain the refugees. All was going as planned, but Scott was still unsettled. Doctor McCoy noticed the other's preoccupation as they had lunch together.

"Out with it, Scotty, what's bothering you?" McCoy's voice startled the engineer out of his thoughts, causing his fork to clatter noisily on the half-empty plate. No one else besides them were still in the officer's mess, which made the noise even more ominous.

Glancing up uneasily to meet the doctor's piercing blue gaze, Scott's brow creased further, revealing that what he was worried about was definitely worth hearing. Unconsciously, McCoy leaned forward to catch the engineer's oddly quiet words.

"I dinnae know exactly, doctor, if I should be tellin' you this, but I cannae make sense of it..."

"Yeah...?" McCoy watched as Scott glanced over his shoulder toward the door warily, as if afraid someone would hear them. Satisfied that they were alone, he leaned toward the doctor again.

"There were two possible places where the device coulda come from and Mr. Spock chose the farthest one. He also ignored my suggestion to enlist another ship from the starbase to check the other planet. It was as if he just...I dinnae like this, but it was like he just..._knew_ where the captain was going. When I questioned him again after our meeting, he snapped at me!"

McCoy did a double-take, suddenly mirroring Scott's expression of concern and confusion. The last time he'd heard Spock snapping at anyone on the _Enterprise_ was over two years ago...

"I dinnae like this doctor, not one wee bit."

"I don't either, Scotty, and I normally wouldn't question Spock, but something isn't right. Where did he go after last shift anyway?" McCoy rose with a speculative look on is face as he glanced toward the entrance to the mess.

"To his quarters."

"Thanks, Scotty."

--

"Come." Spock rose from the meditation mat as his door slid open. Turning, he watched with a raised eyebrow as McCoy approached him with his scanner and tricorder.

"I assure you, doctor, that I haven't fallen ill since my physical last week." The doctor didn't say anything as he examined his results and lowered the scanner. When he looked up, Spock noticed the speculative concern was still on his friend's face.

"Spock..." The Vulcan betrayed no outward emotion, but the doctor didn't need to see any to know exactly what the other was feeling.

The two stared at one another in silence until Spock's comm beeped. Looking away first, the Vulcan went to his desk to answer the hail.

"Yes, Lieutenant."

"We have maintained standard orbit on Phylius Ter'o'na, sir."

"Acknowledged. Have a team of security men meet me at the transporter room." Turning away from the comm, he raised his eyebrow again at the doctor.

"Doctor, are you coming?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah—wait, Spock..." Spock halted at the doorway as the door swished open. He turned, waiting patiently for the doctor to continue.

Instead of speaking, the doctor smirked and arched his eyebrow, glancing pointedly at Spock's attire.

The Vulcan followed McCoy's blue eyes and realized the reason for the doctor's amusement: he was still in his meditation robes.


	7. Chapter 7

Their seats weren't the best, but it was all they could get in such short notice as two hooded, nameless men. Lacing his fingers with Vince's, Kirk looked around for a moment before turning fully to his companion. No one paid them mind and he was feeling a little foolish.

Grinning, he leaned forward and pecked the commodore on the lips. The thrill of doing so incognito was making him feel at least ten years younger.

"Two more hours and we'll be together, Vince, can you believe it? After all these years?" Kirk whispered, watching as the other brought his hand to his lips. The younger man shivered and he wasn't sure for a moment whether or not it was out of revulsion or delight. In the end, after a split-second's pain, he was convinced it was the latter. Yes, yes, it had to be the latter if it didn't hurt anymore.

It was absurdly easy breaking out of the _Enterprise_ and if Kirk really cared anymore about the ship, he would be concerned. However, he wasn't as Vince had suddenly become the center of his world. He didn't dwell on it. Dwelling on it just meant pain and sadness, which he shouldn't feel being with the one he had always wanted and needed.

--

The Phylians were a peaceful, telepathic race of tripeds that resembled scaly lizards with two centered, glowing eyes and two arms. Humans found their appearances unsettling and their hissing dialect of standard even more distressing. Yet, the Phylians were discreet and many came to their violet planet simply for its calm, cloudy weather and seclusion from the rest of the world.

The _Enterprise_ had been on planet to discuss a renewal of a trade agreement just last week and the natives were extremely fond of Spock, as they had been inducted into the Federation through Ambassador Sarek decades ago. Thus, when the first officer of the _Enterprise_ requested to use their docking facilities to capture two refugees, they were more than willing to cooperate. No questions asked.

Hiding behind several scattered pillars, the security waited patiently for Spock's signal as he remained seated and heavily cloaked upon the greeting bench. McCoy was nowhere to be seen. The _Enterprise_ had warped out of orbit almost immediately after beaming the landing party down, being given instructions to rendezvous in seven hours. If anyone thought that was too long, no one voiced their concern within hearing range of the acting captain.

The landing party's wait wasn't long. The first liner arrived ahead of schedule by fifteen minutes. As the passengers got off, a few spared the slumped form of the black-cloaked Spock a glance or two, but no one wished to approach him. After all, on Phylius Ter'o'na, discretion was very important.

The stream of people started to dwindle and Spock didn't raise his head once, not even when he heard the familiar care-free laughter of the one he'd been waiting for. The laugh made his heart clench and he saw green from behind his eyes, but he held such an illogical reaction in check. Once he heard the pair pass him by a meter, he rose and suddenly a group of red-clad security officers had their phasers aimed at the couple.


	8. Chapter 8

Kirk was caught off-guard by the appearance of his security men. For some inexplicabile reason, he'd not thought that the _Enterprise_ would be able to track him down so quickly. He thought for sure that Spock would think it logical they would go to the closer planet. Winding his arm tighter around Vince's arm, he glared defiantly at the stern-faced officers.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Shoot!" The crack of his command voice made them flinch and Kirk was just about to move to charge when he heard the adjusting of a phaser behind him. Slowly, he and the commodore turned to see a phaser pointed right at Vince by that same black-cloaked figure that had been sitting on the bench just moments ago.

It didn't take the captain long to realize just who was shrouded by the cloak. The tall, lithe body and the poise of the extended arm and the finger over the firing button was all too familiar to him. Yet, never in his life did he think he'd see the day where Spock would be pointing a phaser at him. Letting go of Vince's arm, Kirk decided to try his luck and walked right up to the weapon, allowing the metal to brush his chin as he looked up directly into the shadowy depths of the hood. His expression was stern, as if he was about to give out an order.

"Well, Mr. Spock? Are you going to use that weapon or is it for show?" No movement. Not even a twitch of a finger. For some reason, that made the captain smile. He didn't understand why he wasn't annoyed at the fact that his first was steadily aiming a weapon at him. Surely any captain would be at least afraid?

"I don't have all day, first officer. Shoot or lower your weapon." Hazel eyes continued to stare into the shadows as he waited.

The two remained in position for over ten seconds before Spock finally lowered his weapon. This made Kirk grin in relief, but his relief was short-lived as the Vulcan suddenly switched his aim to point back at the commodore. Panic and adrenaline surged through him and before he could really think about what he was doing, Kirk leapt in front of the red beam, feeling it hit him squarely in the chest.

--

"No! Jim!" Spock didn't hesitate this time and fired a second shot, watching coldly as the commodore crumbled only a foot from Kirk's prone form.

Lowering his hood, he gestured silently for the security men to collect both refugees. He didn't look a single one of them in the eye. Instead, his gaze remained trained on the fallen form of his captain as the men lifted him. To his alarm, once they lifted him to his feet, Spock noticed that slim trails of crimson were dripping out of Kirk's ears and nose.

"Doctor!" McCoy reappeared in a flash from around the corner with a Phylian physician. The two were immediately upon the captain and McCoy barked for a stretcher.

To his chagrin, Spock couldn't recall the next few minutes lucidly. All he knew was that Commodore Gregson was under heavy custody in a Phylian isolation chamber and his captain was on a biobed with McCoy and Phylian physicians looming over his unresponsive form for hours while he sat numbly at the edge of the medical chamber, trying to hold back his trembling. What he'd done in a moment's uncontrolled passion could've just damaged his captain forever for a second time.


	9. Chapter 9

"Spock here. Maintain standard orbit over Phylius Ter'o'na until further notice. We have met with some unexpected conflicts, but the commodore and captain are with us. Alert Starfleet that we will have the commodore back on Starbase 70 for the hearing in two days."

"Aye, sir. Will any of the landing party be beaming back aboard?"

"Negative. I will contact the ship again if the situation changes. Spock out."

The Vulcan quietly flipped his communicator closed and turned around to see a frowning McCoy at the doorway of his temporary quarters. The doctor had his arms crossed and was leaning heavily against the closed doors. There were signs of exhaustion around his eyes, but his eyes themselves were sharp and unrelenting as they connected with Spock's dark, dispassionate eyes.

Although the two hadn't exchanged greetings, the science officer was certain that McCoy wished to have the conversation they never had on the _Enterprise_ before they arrived at Phylius Ter'o'na. Spock kept his shields up and his expression neutral, standing at ease as he waited for the doctor to speak first.

"Spock, I think we need to talk about what happened two years ago." Neither moved from their positions.

"What has happened has happened. There is nothing to discuss."

"Spock...you know that isn't true. You used the link to find Jim, didn't you? That's why you were in such a frenzy to get to the Commodore's quarters and how you knew Jim was coming to Phylius Ter'o'na—"

"I merely used the given data and chose the most likely locations—"

"The two research facilities were closer and more likely to be where the culprits were hiding Jim, and yet you decided to bust into the Commodore's quarters with guns ablazing, despite the fact that he'd been helping us the whole time. And then after that, you chose Phylius over Delta Omega IV, which was closer. Don't tell me you were thinking like Jim—you and I both know that Jim wasn't in his right mind or he wouldn't have been so careless with his escape!" Spock blinked at McCoy's words, finding that he couldn't refute them. Instead of replying, he looked away took a seat upon the bed. He heard the doctor leave his perch and felt the bed dip next to him. Thankfully, he didn't feel a human hand on his shoulder. He didn't turn to look at McCoy again, focusing his gaze on a point on the austere grey wall opposite of him.

"Look...I know you don't want to talk about this and I know I'm not even supposed to bring it up, but I really thought you'd severed it like you said you would...for Jim's safety—not that I don't see it's usefulness, but look at what it made you do today. You aren't fooling anyone with that super-Vulcan thing you always do, I know why you never carried out your word and—"

"Your point, doctor?"

"All I'm saying is if you're going to keep that link, you need to stop hiding it from Jim."

"He has chosen who he wanted and I see no reason why I should be having this conversation. As you said, the link is dangerous and I intend to severe it as soon as Jim recovers from his mental—"

"He won't." Spock visibly stiffened at the doctor's pronouncement, but didn't turn to look at him. Instead, he closed his eyes, trying to recall his Vulcan disciplines to calm his illogical racing heart.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that your phaser fire and that little device the commodore used on Jim has sent him into a damned coma!"

"...and you think I ought to severe our mental bond imme—"

"Spock! Shut up and listen! You need the bond! Just for a little while longer. The Phylians can't access his mind without a familiar mind—they need you and that bond with Jim in the next hour and when that happens Jim is going to remember everything and more. I'm trying to make you talk about it now to get you ready for it!"

Spock opened his eyes again and slowly turned to look at the doctor's frustrated face. He cocked and eyebrow at McCoy, but refrained from asking the agitated human why he didn't say that outright in the first place. Instead, he lowered his brow after a moment's silent communication and rose from his bed.

"Doctor, I will be there in 14.67 minutes, but I must mediate on this."


	10. Chapter 10

McCoy wasn't present, which was a relief as he approached the Phylian hovering around his captain. He resisted the urge to glance down at Kirk and raised his hand to catch the Phylian's arm.

Words were not exchanged through the contact, but rather, images. Explanations and conversation were conducted far more easily that way with the Phylians, but it was also uncomfortable for Vulcans as their shields had to be lowered by half.

The Phylian showed him images of their past, which echoed Vulcan's own. Telepaths in combat with one another. Devices of great power to enslave the minds of the captured. The device used on the captain was one of those, but it had been tampered with. Instead of complete control over the human, it suggested and fabricated a past that the commodore had desired. Those lies were now overlapping Kirk's true memories and strangling them out of existence.

Spock wanted to retract his touch, feeling a sudden rush of anger, but the Phylian kept his hand upon his scaly arm. They weren't done.

He saw the Phylian reach out to touch Kirk's mind and a moment later, overlaying Spock's anger was a wave overwhelming protectiveness. He was quick to reassure and calm the Vulcan enough to show that he had been rejected so violently by the captain's mind that he'd been knocked off his three feet from psychic shock. Spock returned a wave of apology for his reaction and for what Kirk had done, but the apology wasn't needed.

Moving on, the Vulcan was given a quick sketch of what they were going to attempt. A three-way meld with the Phylian acting like a Vulcan healer. Was Spock comfortable with this? No, but he would do so anyway for the sake of the captain.

The Phylian nodded, understanding as he grasped Spock's hand tightly in his own. They would begin now if the Vulcan was ready.

Without a moment's hesitation, Spock switched places with the doctor and placed his fingers in the familiar meld formation over Kirk's cool skin.

"My mind to your mind," he whispered in standard out of habit rather than need.

--

There was a wall. A wall of ice that Spock couldn't pass to reach the light that glimmered beyond the barrier. He stood there, observing the pristine slab of frozen water with a wrinkled brow as the Phylian appeared behind him.

"Fascinating...you didn't see this when you tried, did you?"

"No."

"You speak?"

"More easy for link."

"Ah. Then I must warn you to remain where you are if I'm to break this wall."

"Understood. Monitor only." Spock turned back to the ice.

Taking a deep breath, he reached out and placed his palm over the wall. Immediately he was chilled to the bone and the chill soon grew painful, almost painful enough to make him break the link entirely.

Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes and focused upon his goal and the light beyond as he placed his other palm over the wall and pushed.

Two seconds of agony later, the wall crumbled and melted through his fingers, swirling around him in the form of a whirlpool. The water continued to rise and rise, but Spock didn't panic. Instead, he opened his eyes the moment the waters reached his neck and focused his gaze on the single spot of light over the horizon.

The ground beneath him vanished soon along with the vision of the light and the water. He found himself lying facedown upon damp sand. Everything was swathed in shadows. Getting to his feet, he searched frantically about for any source of light around him.

He found none until his third circuit around his patch of sand. To his left, there was a small speck of light that was steadily growing stronger. Spock walked toward it, unafraid.

Within minutes of walking, he found himself entering a cave of glowing, golden light. He didn't find it strange at all that he could look at it without any protective lenses, knowing exactly what he would find in a matter of seconds as his pace quickened.

The light was overwhelming when he stopped before the source. However, it wasn't a pure light, which made Spock frown.

Looking down at the stone table before him, he saw a single, swirling thread, raveling and unraveling at uneven intervals. Whenever it unraveled, there would be noticeable specks of purple color that lashed out and around the gossamer thread. That was the contamination.

Spock knelt before the stone and slipped his hand through and around the writhing strands. It stung a bit, but he didn't withdraw. Closing his eyes, he released a long, shuddering breath.


	11. Chapter 11

_It was the second year of their five-year mission and Spock was kneeling before the firepot in his uniform. His shoulders were slumped while his whole frame wracked with rippling shudders. He clasped his hands tightly before his lap and closed his eyes, fighting to contain the rising flames that were threatening to consume his mind and body._

_His concentration was broken when he heard his bathroom door open. Nostrils flared at the scent of the captain as the human neared him. He held his hands before him tighter, trying to focus his mind on the little jolts of pain the pressure was causing. _

"_Spock..." The Vulcan growled when a cool hand came to rest on his shoulder. It was a tender sort of caress that Kirk didn't withdraw, causing Spock's eyes to snap open. _

"_It's not over yet, is it?" Spock wanted to shrug off the human's hand, but found his own hand covering the alien limb as he tilted his head up to look at his visitor._

_Feverish brown eyes dilated at the look of understanding and apology his captain's hazel gaze. He felt the cold hand squeeze his shoulder._

"_W-Why...?" Spock found himself unable to form a coherent sentence, but Kirk understood him nonetheless._

"_You called me, Spock. I heard it from the bridge." At this, the Vulcan looked away and released his friend's hand. He could feel the flames becoming a full-blown conflagration, but Kirk—_Jim_—shouldn't be here. What tenderness the Vulcan just displayed in response to his friend's concern was nothing. No...Kirk would be killed this time and killed for good if he didn't—_

_The hand left his shoulder and he felt both relief and regret. The feelings were short-lived when he felt cold hands grasp him by the arms, pull him to his feet, and turn him around. _

_Whatever Kirk wanted to say to him never left his lips as Spock suddenly threw himself and the captain against the nearest wall. The last thing the Vulcan felt with a lucid mind was regret at what he was going to do and his friend's returning fear._

Spock's fingers eased from the strands and watched at the thread slowly knit itself together again. However, the process wasn't complete and the Vulcan knew it as he watched the threads suddenly halt over where the purple flashes had taken refuge. He would have to probe further, return to Kirk everything that he'd taken.

Straightening, Spock let his fingers become entangled with the thread once more.

_Spock sat up shakily on the floor of his quarters, finding that his surrounds reeked of blood, sweat, and ejaculate. Beside him was the crumpled form of his captain, back riddled with bleeding welts and purpling bruises. _

_Reaching out, he touched Kirk's neck, trying to feel for a pulse. He found one, but it was faint and weakening by the second. Alarmed, he rose to his feet, despite his body's protest and slammed on the comm._

"_Doctor McCoy, report to my quarters immediately and alone. The captain has been injured."_

He was jerked abruptly out of his memories when he felt an icy, slippery substance creep up his arm. Looking down, he realized it was the purple flickers he'd been seeing. While attempting to mend the link, he'd become a threat that the contamination was now trying to destroy.

Withdrawing from the golden strands only made the purple slime cling harder, sliding over his arm to his neck. Spock stifled panic as echoes of Gregson's suggestions filled his mind.

_Back in the academy, you loved me. You wouldn't admit it, but I could see it in your golden eyes. You didn't see me often, but when you did, your eyes would linger on me as you spoke. You wouldn't dare approach me, not even when I was uninhibited during a party: you were forever the proper gentleman, Jim. You didn't want to force your attentions on me._

The tendrils slowly crept around his windpipe, slowly adding pressure.

_When I gained a post on a starbase, you tried to forget about me, but you couldn't. That's why you threw yourself on so many women once you graduated. You wanted me to see, to be jealous, to wait for you as you rose in ranks. It would take you over three years as a starship captain to finally reach my quadrant and I waited as I had for over a decade, eager to be reunited with you._

Spock remained very still, despite the revulsion and anger that simmered below his cool facade. He was listening to the very same words that drove his captain, his friend, away from him and the _Enterprise_. These were the words of a deluded madman, but he couldn't force himself to try to rip at the slime. He was forever curious.

_But when I did finally see you, you weren't alone. You were with that exec of yours, Commander Spock. I saw the way you looked at him and the way he hovered over you. My heart was breaking even as I shook your hand as a commodore. I tried to be civil, I really did, but jealousy was eating away at me as I continued to chat with the two of you. I wanted him gone. This contamination, this halfling of an alien—how dare he try to seduce you away from me!_

It was getting harder to breathe, but Spock held on. The commodore's words mirrored his own resentment, but unlike the commodore, he knew the truth: Jim didn't love the commodore and never did. He focused on this truth as the contamination spread over to the other side of his body as well.

_Once he left, I noticed that his spell seemed to leave as well. Soon, we were talking like we had been those many years ago. By the time you left, I knew from that smile you gave me that we would meet again. This time, however, I didn't want to see your executive officer, so I called in Lt. Commander Holston to meet you the next day. Forgive me, but the only way to break you away from that Vulcan menace was through force. He would've interrupted us otherwise—and I was right! He did it time and time again as soon as he discovered you were missing!_

_There was no time, I did what I had to do, but understand that it was all for the rekindling of our pure, wholesome love._

_Now that I see him here, I will destroy him once and for all. He doesn't belong anywhere near you, Jim, he is an abomination...a devil in disguise! With him gone, we will truly be together—_

Gregson's voice was abruptly cut off as Spock was enveloped suddenly by the purple slime. The last thing he saw from behind the filmy wall was the silent Phylian, nodding for him to let go and proceed.


	12. Chapter 12

Spock got unsteadily to his feet and felt himself. There was no slime on him, but his surroundings were the exact color of the substance that encased him. It seemed to have expanded.

Deciding to just accept the illogic of the situation, he turned and looked for the source of the sound of water. It was beyond a gentle grey slope that he climbed immediately.

Upon descending, he saw a nondescript stone basin on an earthen floor. Water continually spilled out of it, but the floor around it wasn't damp and the basin remained perpetually overfull.

Kneeling, Spock noted that he didn't see his own reflection upon the rippling surface. He only saw specks of light attempting to struggle out of its watery confinement.

He didn't hesitate to dip a long finger into the basin.

_Spock watched, drained of outward emotion, as McCoy straightened up from hovering over his bed and the still form upon it. It had been over an hour—the exact time eluded him._

_He knew he would have to reflect on what he did earlier that day soon, but he had no desire or energy to do so while he had an audience. _

_The doctor closed his medical bag with a quiet snap, eyes never leaving Kirk's sleeping face._

"_Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Spock didn't reply, closing his eyes at the scene before him. It was a personal affair and he didn't want McCoy to intrude any further than he already had._

_He heard the doctor walk toward him and halt a foot away, wary of Spock's control._

"_Jim knew this would happen, Spock. I saw it in his eyes when he left the bridge abruptly...he couldn't believe that we could get so lucky that you wouldn't have a relapse." The Vulcan opened his eyes and focused them on a point just over the doctor's shoulder._

"_How could he sense that? What happened down there between you two?"_

"_Doctor...mind your place." There was no edge in his tone, only weariness. He wanted to be alone._

"_You...you...oh god...Spock!" Spock inwardly winced at the horror in the doctor's voice. His fingers tightened over the edge of his seat. _Control...Control!

"_...what will you do now? You aren't going to keep...whatever this is, right?"_

The Vulcan withdrew his fingers, cutting off the memory, as he heard the walls of his confinement groan. Looking up, he watched as his surroundings shift and warp, golden light breaking through the eerie gloom. He held an arm over his eyes as the light grew steadily brighter. Over the hum of the light, he could hear a faint stream of cursing and screaming, but soon even that was drowned out along with his own consciousness.


	13. Chapter 13

"Spock?"

Spock awoke, finding his hand being held in Kirk's. He could feel the confusion and wonderment that was emanating from his friend as those hazel eyes drank in the Vulcan's face, as if they hadn't seen one another in years. He permitted himself to give Kirk one of his rare small smiles and didn't make a move to withdraw his hand from the human's touch.

"Yes, Jim."

"What are you doing here?" Spock sat up and glanced around at his surroundings. He was well-aware that he was still in Kirk's mind, but he couldn't feel or see the Phylian anymore.

There was nothing around them but darkness. The only light that shown was from them.

Turning back to his captain, he noticed that the man wasn't clad in his uniform, but a simple Terran plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. It was odd to see such attire again on Jim Kirk: he hadn't seen those clothes since their ordeal with the Guardian of Time.

Letting his eyes slide up from his friend's clothing back to his face, Spock noted that he was still staring at the Vulcan in confusion. It was then that he recalled what Kirk had asked him moments before.

"I'm here to bring you back, Jim. Do you have any recollection of what happened in the past twenty-four hours?" Spock noted the hesitation and the crease on the human's brow as he searched his memory. He could see through their link that Kirk could only remember haphazard fragments. There was no need for an actual reply.

"Gregson is in custody and I believe the contamination has been destroyed completely—"

"Spock..." The Vulcan raised an eyebrow at the interruption, but his query was quickly answered when he refocused on the thoughts that were speeding through Kirk's mind.

_Bridge. Spock calling out. Need to get him. Relapse. All my fault. Come. Forgive me, my friend. Can't lose you—_

Spock jerked his hand away from Kirk's in alarm and stood up quickly. His friend followed, grabbing him by the arms to prevent him from backing away. The grip was harsh, demanding.

"Spock!" Feelings of desperation, love, and fear of abandonment crashed into Spock's mind, colliding with the roaring waves of pure horror, anger, resentment against himself for what he'd done. He was shaking violently and he could feel moisture sliding from his dilated eyes. Too much. Too much!

Without thinking, he pushed Kirk away and stumbled backward, covering his face as he tried to regain control over the storm of Vulcan and human emotion that was threatening to rip all reason from him.

He heard and felt Kirk approach him again, this time he didn't touch Spock, but his presence was unsettling all the same. All of a sudden, before the human could take another step closer, the Vulcan felt someone grab and jerk him roughly up and out of Kirk's mind.

--

McCoy immediately ran into the room when he heard an inhuman cry and the crashing of a heavy body from within Kirk's medical room. He'd chosen to remain out of sight, to leave the Phylian and Spock alone to their delicate procedure, but after two hours of waiting and hearing the chaos that was coming from the room, he knew it was time to intervene.

The sight that met his wide, blue eyes upon entering was something he hadn't been prepared to see. Sprawled by a table of fallen surgical equipment was Doctor P'setreph with a wild-eyed Spock hovering over him. McCoy dropped the hypo and went straight for the phaser, aiming the weapon at the Vulcan.


	14. Chapter 14

What tattered rags of control the Vulcan had been clinging to were ripped from his grasp by the Phylian the moment he was jerked out of Kirk's mind.

The emotions that erupted to the surface overwhelmed and blinded him mentally. Crying out in panic and fear as his surroundings sharpened and bombarded his already reeling mind, he ripped his hand from the Phylian's and sent the doctor flying.

It was only when the doctor slid to the floor, unconscious, that he achieved some sort of relief: the relief of having one less voice in his mind.

Staggering back from the crumpled mass of white and grey, he discovered the relief to be all-too ephemeral as his sharp ears were suddenly assaulted with the crash of plexiglass and the sound of a weapon. Shutting his eyes, he pressed his hands against his ears, doubling over in agony over the amplified noise of both the outside world and his own inner world.

Weak. Too weak to replace the controls—he needed relief, relief of all external noise before his head split into two!

Opening his eyes again, he glanced up at the heavy breather by the door. There was a weapon in his hand, but it he was shaking more than Spock was. The predator in him clawed emerged and caused his dark eyes to harden and narrow into two slits of flint. Crouching low, he made a mad leap forward and rolled, narrowly avoiding the first beam.

Rolling back onto his feet, he slapped the weapon from the panicked human's hands and—

--

McCoy was frozen as the Phylians tugged the unconscious Vulcan away from him. For a moment there, he had been reliving his encounter with Spock during their time in the Sarpeidon Ice Age.

It took the doctor several seconds to compose himself and register that the Phylians were dragging Spock back over to Kirk's biobed. Once that sank in, he leapt immediately into action, striding over quickly to grab the closest alien's arm.

"Wait a sec, just what are you thinking of doing? Mr. Spock's mind clearly isn't stable and you want to—"

"Needed, doctor. Link strong...stronger than we thought before. Need to fix." McCoy's brows knit at the statement as he felt a transmission of reassurance from the doctor he was touching. He soon let go and stood back with his arms folded, watching with trepidation as the Phylians placed Spock's limp hand over the captain's face.


	15. Chapter 15

The second time around, there were no physical representations of the mind of James Kirk and Spock's. It was more vague flashes of images and shapes, swirling and mixing with one another.

Neither were conscious precisely, nor were they aware of what was occurring within their minds.

The only one that could understand even superficially what was occurring were a pair of slit, glowing eyes. Eyes, which gleamed with fascination and curiosity, as they watched the red, gold, blue, and black all emerge fluidly and withdrew in a coy dance around one another.

--

Kirk's eyes flew open with a jolt, finding himself seeing nothing but darkness. For a few seconds, the captain blinked, slowly pushing back the irrational fear that he'd gone blind. Although it was dark, it wasn't completely so. He could make out faint lines of the wall and the equipment around him and after a few seconds, his eyes grew accustomed enough to his surroundings to register that he was on a bed in a medical facility.

The next sense that he focused sluggish mind on was hearing. There was an unsettling silence that set him on the defensive immediately. He'd rarely ever been in a medical room without the familiar beeps of machinery. The only sounds he could hear was his rapidly beating heart and breathing. It took a moment for him to realize that he wasn't he only one breathing in the room.

The realization led his mind wander to the tactile and he found that a familiar feverish warmth enveloped his own. In a beat, he was suddenly very wide awake and well-aware of whose head was resting close to him and whose hand was holding his. Slowly, he craned his sore neck downward to confirm what he already knew.

A fond smile formed on his chapped lips when his hazel eyes fell upon the form of his slumped, sleeping Vulcan friend. For a good minute, nothing else in the universe mattered and the captain found himself completely at peace and content.

--

Spock was completely at ease and content. Something within him was keeping him afloat and that same something had aided him in achieving an inner peace that he'd never been able to during even at the highest level of meditation. It felt good and it felt right, but it was illogical to linger in the unconscious plane.

Reluctantly, he found his body reawakening and his mind slam him right back into the cold, dark reality of life.

Oddly enough, as he slowly opened his eyes, he found that contentment and peace he'd felt in his unconscious state lingering and being added to those feelings was one of relief and amusement as he lifted his head from the mattress.


	16. Chapter 16

McCoy should've trusted the Phylians when they told him the situation was stable. They were, after all, certified physicians just like he was and probably more capable than him, relying very little on technology to diagnose someone. After all, they were formidable telepaths. He suspected that same telepathy was the reason why they allowed him to remain in a chair just outside the captain's medical room, phaser at hand. He didn't mean to offend, but after seeing what happened the first time they tried using Spock to connect with Kirk, he wasn't sure he trusted the Phylian judgment completely. After all, they weren't human or Vulcan.

He remained in his tense state of mind for a good hour before he heard murmurs from the room. The doctor rose quickly, but as he pressed his ear against the closed door, he realized that what he was hearing wasn't hostile. In fact, from what he could hear, garbled by distance and the door, he had nothing to worry about at all.

Yet, despite the fact that he could relax, he remained where he was, ear pressed against the cool metal of the door. Although he ought to leave the two alone, two conflicting desires welled up within him. One of them was his concern about Kirk and Spock's health. Although it sounded like everything was fine, perhaps mentally they weren't as sound as they seemed. After that fiasco up in the ship just a day ago, he didn't trust what could be taken at face value.

The other desire, however, wasn't quite as selfless. Rather, it was the opposite: Kirk and Spock were clearly awake and he was simply curious to see how they were behaving. He had no doubt in his mind that Kirk remembered everything from two years ago, but how would he manage to convince Spock to finally let go of the past and start all over again? He felt like a man watching one of those trashy drama vids that the nurses were always talking about and he was growing more and more impatient for the finale.

He would've already made his disruptive entrance, but his fear of interrupting something important or walking in at an awkward moment kept him where he was.

For another minute, he heard the cessation of conversation and his concern started growing. Although talking silences were normal for his two friends, he wasn't sure what to make of the sudden silence, not knowing what had just gone on.

A small voice in his head told him that if he wanted to check on them both, then would've been the time. But that small voice was countered by a larger one saying that McCoy may be walking into something he would rather not have branded forever in his brain.

The choice was taken from him as the door abruptly slid open and he stumbled right into Spock. The Vulcan didn't even lift an eyebrow as he automatically righted McCoy up and left the room. That immediately made the doctor suspicious that whatever conversation Spock and Jim just had was far from a happy one.

His suspicion was confirmed when he glanced toward the captain and caught the unusual sheen of moisture sparkling in those muddied brown eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

"The court hereby rules unanimously that Commodore Vincent Lucan Gregson guilty on the charges of assault of a fellow commanding officer, kidnapping, and use of illegal mind-altering equipment. Commodore Gregson is hereby stripped of his rank and discharged from Starfleet. He is to report to the closest psychiatric facility for a five-year rehabilitation program..." Kirk stopped listening as he caught Gregson's glance from across the courtroom. The former commodore looked unrepentant as he smiled sadly back at the captain, as if all of this was just a large misunderstanding by him and the rest of the court. Kirk held back a shudder and let his eyes slide back to the court as all stood for the ending of the session.

It wasn't until Gregson was led out that he let out a breath he'd been holding during the whole trial. Tension fled his body and he suddenly grew very tired. McCoy and Spock were instantly at his side, not speaking or even touching Kirk as they strode out of the room. Nothing seemed amiss even as they materialized onto the transporter pad of the _Enterprise_.

It wasn't until Spock left Kirk's side to return to his experiments that McCoy's smile faded. The captain didn't even get a word in before he was practically shoved into his own quarters by the doctor.

"Jim, what the hell happened down at Phylius Ter'o'na?"

"What are you talking about, Bones?"

"You and Spock—you remember everything now, don't you?"

"Yes, but I don't see why you should—"

"Cut the crap and tell me why the hell are you and Spock acting like nothing happened—"

"I don't see why we should act otherwise. I'm better again and we worked out our differences—"

"What about the bond?"

"..."

"Jim? Did he break it?"

"Bones, I'm a busy person. I have a lot of work to catch up on after practically a week of this ordeal—"

"You're not answering my question."

"It's none of your business, doctor."

"It is as a friend—"

"No it isn't. If you have nothing official to say to me, you are dismissed."

"But—"

"_Dismissed_, medical officer."

--

McCoy didn't approach Spock or Kirk again about what happened down on Phylius Ter'o'na, although he noticed that there was a distinct sadness and longing in the captain's eyes everytime he thought no one was looking. Whatever arrangement Kirk and Spock had made, while not emotionally satisfying, didn't disrupt their teamwork or make their interactions forced or stilted. Rather, it seemed to make the pair closer and as the fourth year of their space mission progressed. McCoy was almost confident that the captain would be able to force that stubborn green-blooded hobgoblin to finally give in and accept the bond as it was intended before the end of the mission.


End file.
